Pioneer DJM TOUR1 System 4-channel digital mixer with fold-out touch screen

The output from a DJ mixer is typically plugged into a sound reinforcement system or a PA system at a dance, rave, nightclub or similar venue or event. The sound reinforcement system consists of power amplifiers which amplify the signal to the level that can drive speaker enclosures, which since the 1980s typically include both full-range speakers and subwoofers for the deep bass sounds. If the DJ is performing a mix for a radio station or television station, the output from the DJ mixer is plugged into the main audio console being used for the broadcast. If the DJ is performing a mix that is being recorded by a recording studio, the output from the DJ mixer is plugged into the main audio console used for the recording, which is in turn plugged into the recording medium (audiotape, hard disk, etc.). In some cases, such as when a DJ is performing a set at a club for dancers that is also being simultaneously broadcast over the radio or television system or recorded for a music video or other show, the output from the DJ mixer is plugged into the sound reinforcement system and into the main audio console being used for the broadcast and/or recording. At club sets, some DJs may use a monitor speaker to hear the house’s main mix. This monitor speaker can have its volume increased or decreased by the DJ as needed.

DJ mixing played a key role in the development of the African-American style of hip hop music. In hip hop music and occasionally in other genres that are influenced by hip hop (e.g., nu metal), the turntable is used as a musical instrument by DJs, who use turntables along with a DJ mixer to create unique rhythmic sounds and other sound effects. Manipulation of a record as part of the music, rather than for normal playback or mixing, is called turntablism. The basis of turntablism, and its best known technique, is scratching, pioneered by Grand Wizzard Theodore. It was not until Herbie Hancock‘s “Rockit” in 1983 that the turntablism movement was recognized in popular music outside of a hip hop context. In the 2010s, many hip hop DJs use DJ CD players or digital record emulator devices to create scratching sounds; nevertheless, some DJs still scratch with vinyl records.